If nothing else, the New York Giants have proven that they're not afraid to shake up the roster, especially with their eyes firmly on winning the NFC East.
And with the league's trade deadline fast approaching, there's been plenty of talk about who the Giants might acquire, but little about who, if anyone, they might move to recoup draft picks.
So here's a thought about the latter: Why not see if the Green Bay Packers would be interested in acquiring center John Michael Schmitz in exchange for a draft pick?
Crazy, you say? Perhaps. But let's explore this wild scenario anyway.
Simple. Injuries have hit their offensive line hard. They are already on their third center this season after losing Sean Rhyan, their Week 1 starter, to a high ankle sprain in Week 7 and backup Jacob Monk to a quad injury that same week.
Rhyan is expected to miss between four and six weeks . Right now, the Packers are down to John Williams, their seventh-round pick in 2025, who stepped in for Monk against the Detroit Lions last week.
Per PFF , Monk has allowed 11 pressures this season, and Williams has allowed five. Is it that hard to believe the Packers would want a better option at center moving forward, as they also fight to win their division?
Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61) after the game at MetLife Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Why not? It's obvious that after losing his starting job to Bryan Hudson back in Week 4, Schmitz, who, by the way, is in the final year of his rookie contract, isn't in the long-term plans for the Giants.
Rather than let him walk in the 2027 free agency cycle and risk getting nothing in return, why not see if the team can get a draft pick for him from a club in need, such as the Packers?
Doing so not only guarantees a 2027 pick, but also adds to a haul that already includes five picks, plus a potential extra fourth-round pick projected to come the Giants' way via the compensatory system.
If the Giants can get extra picks for players who don't have a long-term future with the team, why not pursue that avenue?
To win now. If Green Bay isn't happy with its current center situation, it makes the upgrade now and worries later about whether anyone on an expiring contract will be back.
And let's say, for argument's sake, that the Giants and Packers made this trade. Would it be a rental? Probably. But remember, the Packers signed Rhyan to a three-year, $33 million contract in March of this year, so it's probably safe to say that he's their starter moving forward.
And Schmitz? Since he's in the final year of his rookie deal, he'd cost the Packers approximately $230,823 for each week he's on the roster, which isn't a huge financial strain for a team that currently has $6.422 million in salary cap space.
Per Tankathon , the Packers are projected to have 11 draft picks in 2027. That haul includes two fourth-round picks, three fifth-round picks (two of which are projected compensatory picks), and two sixth-round picks (one compensatory pick).
If the Packers are desperate for an upgrade at center, would anyone balk at trading a fifth-round pick for a center who was a second-round pick in his draft class?
Offensive lineman Kendrick Green | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Currently, Schmitz is listed as Hudson's backup after losing his starting job, meaning there is no other center on the roster at the moment.
But the Giants do have a couple of players on the practice squad who could be options for promotion to the 53-man roster if the team moves on from Schmitz via a trade.
The most obvious is Kendrick Green, a veteran who has been in the NFL since 2021 and has played 975 snaps at center , most recently in 2024 with Houston.
Green also spent the 2025 season in Cleveland with Giants offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, so he is probably already ahead of the curve in adapting to the techniques Bloomgren teaches.
Another option would be Lodi, N.J. native Geno VanDeMark. VanDeMark is still a young player looking to get his NFL footing, but he played 161 snaps at center over his college career at both Michigan State and Alabama.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/giants/onsi as Bold Trade Idea for Giants: Cash In on John Michael Schmitz Before the Deadline .
